POPPY PEST AND DISEASES

Collar rot or crown rot

Collar rot or crown rot is normally caused by Phytophthora, there are many species of Phytophthora, a common, widely distributed, soil borne fungus with a very wide host range, attacking about 200 different species of plants in over 80 genera. It is a serious disease of certain cultivars of poppies.  The disease is primarily a problem on sites that are poorly drained or are irrigated by flooding. High soil moisture and soil temperatures 20°C and above are essential for the survival and movement and infection of the Phytophthora fungus.

There is apparently nothing available on the market for the amateur gardener, thus nothing that can be done about the infected soils, but I have found that not all verities of poppy are susceptible to the fungal attack, but it can be very distressing to see an entire patch of nice healthy young poppies keel over and die, and there is nothing that can be done about it.






Pegomya hyoscyami  'Beet leafminer'

Attacks henbanes, nightshades and poppies, no cure, except finding the maggots and killing by hand one by one, makes a real mess of the leaves but seed production seems to be unaffected.  






‘Bird damage’

Seems to happen towards the end of the summer, birds will attack the pods and eat the seeds inside.




'Poppy pod and seed loss'

Living in the north east of England, we tend to have short summers and they are nearly always wet towards the end of the summer, this is bad news if you are waiting for large poppy pods to dry on the plant. I have encountered two main problems with wet weather, one is the seeds can germinate inside the pod, and second the whole pod rots to mush.

The key is to cut the pods as soon as they start to turn yellow, give them a tip and if you can hear the seeds rattle inside, cut them down, and then hang them upside down in a dry place.





2 comments:

  1. Are there any varieties that you sell, besides Bush, that are resistant to collar rot? I had good results with the Bush poppies in the past but I see this is an ongoing problem with my soil for other varieties.

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